U.S. patent application number 12/772980 was filed with the patent office on 2011-01-06 for methods and systems for providing a consistent profile to overlapping user sessions.
Invention is credited to Richard Hayton, Joseph Nord.
Application Number | 20110004649 12/772980 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42751970 |
Filed Date | 2011-01-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110004649 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nord; Joseph ; et
al. |
January 6, 2011 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING A CONSISTENT PROFILE TO
OVERLAPPING USER SESSIONS
Abstract
Just in time delivery of a consistent user profile to
overlapping user sessions, where a first user session issues a
request for a first file of a user profile to a server agent. Upon
receiving the request, the server agent retrieves the first file
from a base user profile, and just in time delivers the retrieved
first file to the first user session. The user, via a second user
session executing simultaneously with the first user session,
issues a request to the server agent for the first file and a
second file of the user profile. Upon receiving the request, the
server agent identifies a modified version of the first file in a
provisional user profile, retrieves the modified first file from
the provisional user profile and the second file from the base user
profile, and just in time delivers both files to the second user
session.
Inventors: |
Nord; Joseph; (Lighthouse,
FL) ; Hayton; Richard; (Cambridge, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHOATE, HALL & STEWART / CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
TWO INTERNATIONAL PLACE
BOSTON
MA
02110
US
|
Family ID: |
42751970 |
Appl. No.: |
12/772980 |
Filed: |
May 3, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61174996 |
May 2, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/202 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/306 20130101;
H04L 67/143 20130101; H04L 41/046 20130101; H04L 67/06
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/202 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/16 20060101
G06F015/16 |
Claims
1. A method for just in time delivery of a consistent user profile
to overlapping user sessions, the method comprising: receiving, by
a server agent executing on a computer, a request from a first user
session for a first file of a user profile of a user; retrieving,
by the server agent responsive to receiving the first user session
request, the first file from a base user profile of the user;
delivering, by the server agent just in time, the first file to the
first user session; receiving, by the server agent, a request from
a second user session for the first file and a second file of the
user profile, the second user session and the first user session
executing simultaneously; identifying, by the server agent
responsive to receiving the second user session request, a modified
version of the first file in a provisional user profile of the
user; retrieving, by the server agent responsive to identifying the
modified first file in the provisional user profile, the modified
first file from the provisional user profile and the second file
from the base user profile; and delivering, by the server agent
just in time, the modified first file and the second file to the
second user session.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving from the base user
profile further comprises retrieving from a base user profile
comprising a version of the user profile of the user.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying in the provisional
user profile further comprises identifying in a provisional user
profile comprising a version of the user profile of the user.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the first
user session modified the first file; and storing, by the server
agent, the modified first file in the provisional user profile
responsive to the first user session modification of the first
file.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the
server agent, the first user session and the second user session
terminated; merging, by the server agent, the provisional user
profile with the base user profile; and removing, by the server
agent, substantially all profile information from the provisional
user profile.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein merging further comprises:
identifying files residing in both the provisional user profile and
the base user profile; and replacing the files in the base user
profile with the files in the provisional user profile.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein merging further comprises:
identifying files residing in the provisional user profile and not
residing in the base user profile; and copying the files into the
base user profile.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein merging further comprises:
comparing a provisional file directory in the provisional user
profile to a base file directory in the base user profile, the
provisional file directory tracking changes made to file paths and
file names; and updating file paths and file names within the base
file directory according to the provisional file directory.
9. A system for just in time delivery of a consistent user profile
to overlapping user sessions, the system comprising: a user profile
of a user; a base user profile of the user; a provisional user
profile of the user; and a server agent executing on a computer to:
receive a request from a first user session for a first file of the
user profile, retrieve, responsive to receiving the first user
session request, the first file from the base user profile, just in
time deliver the first file to the first user session, receive a
request from a second user session for the first file and a second
file of the user profile, the second user session and the first
user session executing simultaneously, identify, responsive to
receiving the second user session request, a modified version of
the first file in the provisional user profile, retrieve,
responsive to identifying the modified first file in the
provisional user profile, the modified first file from the
provisional user profile and the second file from the base user
profile, and just in time deliver the modified first file and the
second file to the second user session.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the base user profile comprises
a version of the user profile of the user.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the provisional user profile
comprises a version of the user profile of the user.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the server agent: determines the
first user session and the second user session terminated, merges
the provisional user profile with the base user profile, and
removes substantially all profile information from the provisional
user profile.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server agent merges by:
identifying files residing in both the provisional user profile and
the base user profile, and replacing the files in the base user
profile with the files in the provisional user profile.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the server agent merges by:
identifying files residing in the provisional user profile and not
residing in the base user profile, and copying the files into the
base user profile.
15. The system of claim 12, wherein the server agent merges by:
comparing a provisional file directory in the provisional user
profile to a base file directory in the base user profile, the
provisional file directory tracking changes made to file paths and
file names, and updating file paths and file names within the base
file directory according to the provisional file directory.
16. A method for just in time delivery of a consistent user profile
to overlapping user sessions, the method comprising: receiving, by
a server agent executing on a computer, a request from a first user
session for a first file of a user profile of a user; delivering,
by the server agent just in time, the first file from a base user
profile to the first user session; receiving, by the server agent,
a request from a second user session for the first file, the second
user session and the first user session executing simultaneously;
delivering, by the server agent just in time, the first file from
the base user profile to the second user session; storing, by the
server agent upon detecting the first user session ended, a
modified first file in a provisional user profile, the first file
modified by the first user session; determining, by the server
agent, a third user session started, the third user session and the
second user session executing simultaneously; and delivering, by
the server agent responsive to the determination, the modified
first file from the provisional user profile to the third user
session.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving the
modified first file from the first user session prior to storing
the first file in the provisional user profile.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving a request
from a third user session for a second file; and delivering, by the
server agent just in time, the second file from the base user
profile to the third user session.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining the
second user session and the third user session terminated; merging
the provisional user profile with the base user profile; and
removing substantially all profile information from the provisional
user profile.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first user session, the
second user session and the third user session are of the user.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/174,996, filed on May 2, 2009, the
disclosure of which is considered part of the disclosure of this
application and is herein incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to providing user
profiles. In particular, the disclosure relates to streaming a
consistent user profile.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0003] Systems that remotely provide applications can remotely
provide users with application instances configured according to a
user's settings and dedicated to a user during the length of a user
session. When a user accesses a remote application, the user can
log onto a remote server that can execute a remote application that
is able to intercept or receive user application execution
requests, and respond to the requests by instantiating an instance
of the requested application on the remote server. A user can
access the application instances by either remotely interacting
with the application via a presentation level protocol or by
receiving a stream of application files from a file or application
server. In instances where the user wishes to receive files and
data from the user profile at a delayed point in time (or
"just-in-time"), delivery of the files and data may be delayed
until after the user logs into a machine. Delaying data and file
delivery to a execution machine can speed system logon performance.
Further, there may be consistency problems between the file and
data versions delivered to a user because the user may receive
multiple versions of the user profile when the user modifies the
data and files post-login and logs on to more than one machine at
one time. For example when one or more files are changed by the
user while the user is logged into a first user session at one
point in time, and one or more files are changed by the user while
the user is logged into a second user session at another point in
time; inconsistencies can arise when the first and second user
sessions overlap such that there exists a point in time when both
the first and the second user session execute substantially
simultaneously. In this instance, a user may receive an
inconsistent profile because the changes made to the files in the
first user session may not be reflected in the files streamed to
the user during the second user session and cross file consistency
issues can arise if one file references files separately changed in
a second session.
[0004] An example of how this can occur is displayed in FIG. 1A.
Illustrated in FIG. 1A is a scenario where a user receives File B
during a first login session and again during a second login
session. The user changes File B during the second login session
and writes the changed file to the user's base user profile upon
logging off of the second login session, the change made to File B
during the second login session is not reflected in the profile
streamed to the user during the first login session which persists
past the point in time when the second login session ends.
Therefore when the user requests File B, the version delivered to
the user is inconsistent with the most recent version of the file,
e.g. the version modified during the second login session and
stored in the user's base user profile.
[0005] An example of how to mitigate user profile inconsistencies
is described in FIG. 1B which illustrates a system where each
change to a file is reflected in a delta storage repository. Thus,
each time a change is made to files within the user profile, the
changes are copied to a delta storage repository and are not merged
into the base user profile until the associated user session ends.
What can result over time is a potentially large number of copies
of the user profile. Such a system can be very complex, can include
multiple points of failure and can require a great deal of memory.
Thus, methods and systems are needed to mitigate profile
inconsistencies that are simple and require a reduced amount of
memory.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0006] In one aspect, described herein is a method for just in time
delivery of a consistent user profile to overlapping user sessions.
A server agent executing on a computer, receives a request from a
first user session for a first file of a user profile of a user.
Responsive to receiving the first user session request, the server
agent retrieves the first file from a base user profile of the
user. The server agent just in time delivers the first file to the
first user session, and receives a request from a second user
session for the first file and a second file of the user profile,
where the second user session and the first user session execute
simultaneously. In response to receiving the second user session
request, the server agent identifies a modified version of the
first file in a provisional user profile of the user. Upon
identifying the modified first file in the provisional user
profile, the server agent retrieves the modified first file from
the provisional user profile and the second file from the base user
profile. The server agent, upon retrieving the files, just in time
delivers the modified first file and the second file to the second
user session.
[0007] In some embodiments, the base user profile comprises a
version of the user profile of the user. In other embodiments, the
provisional user profile comprises a version of the user profile of
the user.
[0008] In other embodiments, retrieving the first file from a base
user profile can include searching, by the server agent, the
provisional user profile for a version of the first file. The
server agent, in response to failing to locate a version of the
first file in the provisional user profile, retrieves the first
file from the base user profile.
[0009] The first user session, in some embodiments, modifies the
first file prior to identifying the modified version of the first
file in the provisional user profile. The server agent, in some
embodiments, stores the modified first file in the provisional user
profile responsive to the first user session modification of the
first file.
[0010] In one embodiment, the server agent determines the first
user session and the second user session terminated, and merges the
provisional user profile with the base user profile. The server
agent then removes substantially all profile information from the
provisional user profile. Merging, in some embodiments, includes
identifying files residing in both the provisional user profile and
the base user profile, and replacing the files in the base user
profile with the files in the provisional user profile. Merging, in
other embodiments, includes identifying files residing in the
provisional user profile and not residing in the base user profile,
and copying the files in the base user profile. Merging, in still
other embodiments, includes comparing a provisional file directory
in the provisional user profile to a base file directory in the
base user profile, where the provisional file directory tracks
changes made to file paths and file names. The file paths and file
names are then updated within the base file directory according to
the provisional file directory.
[0011] In still other aspects, described herein is a system for
just in time delivery of a consistent user profile to overlapping
user sessions. The system can include a user profile of a user, a
base user profile of the user, and a provisional user profile of
the user. The system can further include a server agent that
executes on a computer to receive a request from a first user
session for a first file of the user profile, and retrieve,
responsive to receiving the first user session request, the first
file from the base user profile. The server agent then just in time
delivers the first file to the first user session. The server agent
then receives a request from a second user session for the first
file and a second file of the user profile, where the second user
session and the first user session execute simultaneously. The
server agent then identifies, responsive to receiving the second
user session request, a modified version of the first file in the
provisional user profile, and retrieves, responsive to identifying
the modified first file in the provisional user profile, the
modified first file from the provisional user profile and the
second file from the base user profile. The server agent then just
in time delivers the modified first file and the second file to the
second user session.
[0012] In another aspect, described herein is a method for just in
time delivery of a consistent user profile to overlapping user
sessions. A server agent executing on a computer receives a request
from a first user session for a first file of a user profile of a
user. In response, the server agent delivers the first file from a
base profile to the first user session. The server agent then
receives a request from a second user session for the first file,
where the second user session and the first user session execute
simultaneously. Responsive to the request, the server agent
delivers the first file from the base user profile to the second
user session. Upon detecting that the first session ended, the
server agent stores a modified version of the first file in a
provisional user profile. The first file, in some instances, was
modified by the first user session. The server agent then
determines that a third user session started, where the third user
session and the second user session execute simultaneously.
Responsive to this determination, the server agent delivers the
modified first file from the provisional user profile to the third
user session.
[0013] In some embodiments, the modified first file is received
from the user session prior to storing the modified first file in
the provisional user profile.
[0014] In other embodiments, the server agent can receive a request
from a third user session for a second file, and can delivery just
in time the second file from the base user profile to the third
user session.
[0015] The server agent, in some embodiments, can determine the
second user session and the third user session terminated.
Responsive to this determination, the server agent can merge the
provisional user profile with the base user profile and can remove
substantially all profile information from the provisional user
profile.
[0016] In one embodiment, the first user session, the second user
session and the third user session are of the same user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The following figures depict certain illustrative
embodiments of the methods and systems described herein, where like
reference numerals refer to like elements. Each depicted embodiment
is illustrative of these methods and systems and not limiting.
[0018] FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams of embodiments of prior
art systems.
[0019] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrative of an embodiment of
a remote-access, networked environment with a client machine that
communicates with a server.
[0020] FIGS. 2B and 2C are block diagrams illustrative of an
embodiment of computing machines for practicing the methods and
systems described herein.
[0021] FIG. 2D is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of a
server farm.
[0022] FIG. 2E is a block diagram depicting one embodiment of a
system for providing a plurality of application programs available
to the client via publishing of GUIs in a web service
directory.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system for streaming files to
a user during a user session.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system for
mitigating profile inconsistencies.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for
mitigating profile inconsistencies.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of merging a base
user profile and a provisional user profile.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for
mitigating profile inconsistencies.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] FIG. 2A illustrates one embodiment of a computing
environment 101 that includes one or more client machines 102A-102N
(generally referred to herein as "client machine(s) 102") in
communication with one or more servers 106A-106N (generally
referred to herein as "server(s) 106"). Installed in between the
client machine(s) 102 and server(s) 106 is a network.
[0029] In one embodiment, the computing environment 101 can include
an appliance installed between the server(s) 106 and client
machine(s) 102. This appliance can mange client/server connections,
and in some cases can load balance client connections amongst a
plurality of backend servers.
[0030] The client machine(s) 102 can in some embodiment be referred
to as a single client machine 102 or a single group of client
machines 102, while server(s) 106 may be referred to as a single
server 106 or a single group of servers 106. In one embodiment a
single client machine 102 communicates with more than one server
106, while in another embodiment a single server 106 communicates
with more than one client machine 102. In yet another embodiment, a
single client machine 102 communicates with a single server
106.
[0031] A client machine 102 can, in some embodiments, be referenced
by any one of the following terms: client machine(s) 102;
client(s); client computer(s); client device(s); client computing
device(s); local machine; remote machine; client node(s);
endpoint(s); endpoint node(s); or a second machine. The server 106,
in some embodiments, may be referenced by any one of the following
terms: server(s), local machine; remote machine; server farm(s),
host computing device(s), or a first machine(s).
[0032] In one embodiment, the client machine 102 can be a virtual
machine 102C. The virtual machine 102C can be any virtual machine,
while in some embodiments the virtual machine 102C can be any
virtual machine managed by a hypervisor developed by XenSolutions,
Citrix Systems, IBM, VMware, or any other hypervisor. In other
embodiments, the virtual machine 102C can be managed by any
hypervisor, while in still other embodiments, the virtual machine
102C can be managed by a hypervisor executing on a server 106 or a
hypervisor executing on a client 102.
[0033] The client machine 102 can in some embodiments execute,
operate or otherwise provide an application that can be any one of
the following: software; a program; executable instructions; a
virtual machine; a hypervisor; a web browser; a web-based client; a
client-server application; a thin-client computing client; an
ActiveX control; a Java applet; software related to voice over
internet protocol (VoIP) communications like a soft IP telephone;
an application for streaming video and/or audio; an application for
facilitating real-time-data communications; a HTTP client; a FTP
client; an Oscar client; a Telnet client; or any other set of
executable instructions. Still other embodiments include a client
device 102 that displays application output generated by an
application remotely executing on a server 106 or other remotely
located machine. In these embodiments, the client device 102 can
display the application output in an application window, a browser,
or other output window. In one embodiment, the application is a
desktop, while in other embodiments the application is an
application that generates a desktop.
[0034] The server 106, in some embodiments, executes a remote
presentation client or other client or program that uses a
thin-client or remote-display protocol to capture display output
generated by an application executing on a server 106 and transmits
the application display output to a remote client 102. The
thin-client or remote-display protocol can be any one of the
following protocols: the Independent Computing Architecture (ICA)
protocol manufactured by Citrix Systems, Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla.; or the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) manufactured by the
Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.
[0035] The computing environment 101 can include more than one
server 106A-106N such that the servers 106A-106N are logically
grouped together into a server farm 106. The server farm 106 can
include servers 106 that are geographically dispersed and logically
grouped together in a server farm 106, or servers 106 that are
located proximate to each other and logically grouped together in a
server farm 106. Geographically dispersed servers 106A-106N within
a server farm 106 can, in some embodiments, communicate using a
WAN, MAN, or LAN, where different geographic regions can be
characterized as: different continents; different regions of a
continent; different countries; different states; different cities;
different campuses; different rooms; or any combination of the
preceding geographical locations. In some embodiments the server
farm 106 may be administered as a single entity, while in other
embodiments the server farm 106 can include multiple server farms
106.
[0036] In some embodiments, a server farm 106 can include servers
106 that execute a substantially similar type of operating system
platform (e.g., WINDOWS NT, manufactured by Microsoft Corp. of
Redmond, Wash., UNIX, LINUX, or SNOW LEOPARD.) In other
embodiments, the server farm 106 can include a first group of
servers 106 that execute a first type of operating system platform,
and a second group of servers 106 that execute a second type of
operating system platform. The server farm 106, in other
embodiments, can include servers 106 that execute different types
of operating system platforms.
[0037] The server 106, in some embodiments, can be any server type.
In other embodiments, the server 106 can be any of the following
server types: a file server; an application server; a web server; a
proxy server; an appliance; a network appliance; a gateway; an
application gateway; a gateway server; a virtualization server; a
deployment server; a SSL VPN server; a firewall; a web server; an
application server or as a master application server; a server 106
executing an active directory; or a server 106 executing an
application acceleration program that provides firewall
functionality, application functionality, or load balancing
functionality. In some embodiments, a server 106 may be a RADIUS
server that includes a remote authentication dial-in user service.
In embodiments where the server 106 comprises an appliance, the
server 106 can be an appliance manufactured by any one of the
following manufacturers: the Citrix Application Networking Group;
Silver Peak Systems, Inc; Riverbed Technology, Inc.; F5 Networks,
Inc.; or Juniper Networks, Inc. Some embodiments include a first
server 106A that receives requests from a client machine 102,
forwards the request to a second server 106B, and responds to the
request generated by the client machine 102 with a response from
the second server 106B. The first server 106A can acquire an
enumeration of applications available to the client machine 102 and
well as address information associated with an application server
106 hosting an application identified within the enumeration of
applications. The first server 106A can then present a response to
the client's request using a web interface, and communicate
directly with the client 102 to provide the client 102 with access
to an identified application.
[0038] The server 106 can, in some embodiments, execute any one of
the following applications: a thin-client application using a
thin-client protocol to transmit application display data to a
client; a remote display presentation application; any portion of
the CITRIX ACCESS SUITE by Citrix Systems, Inc. like the METAFRAME
or CITRIX PRESENTATION SERVER; MICROSOFT WINDOWS Terminal Services
manufactured by the Microsoft Corporation; or an ICA client,
developed by Citrix Systems, Inc. Another embodiment includes a
server 106 that is an application server such as: an email server
that provides email services such as MICROSOFT EXCHANGE
manufactured by the Microsoft Corporation; a web or Internet
server; a desktop sharing server; a collaboration server; or any
other type of application server. Still other embodiments include a
server 106 that executes any one of the following types of hosted
server applications: GOTOMEETING provided by Citrix Online
Division, Inc.; WEBEX provided by WebEx, Inc. of Santa Clara,
Calif.; or Microsoft Office LIVE MEETING provided by Microsoft
Corporation.
[0039] Client machines 102 can, in some embodiments, be a client
node that seeks access to resources provided by a server 106. In
other embodiments, the server 106 may provide clients 102 or client
nodes with access to hosted resources. The server 106, in some
embodiments, functions as a master node such that it communicates
with one or more clients 102 or servers 106. In some embodiments,
the master node can identify and provide address information
associated with a server 106 hosting a requested application, to
one or more clients 102 or servers 106. In still other embodiments,
the master node can be a server farm 106, a client 102, a cluster
of client nodes 102, or an appliance.
[0040] One or more clients 102 and/or one or more servers 106 can
transmit data over a network 104 installed between machines and
appliances within the computing environment 101. The network 104
can comprise one or more sub-networks, and can be installed between
any combination of the clients 102, servers 106, computing machines
and appliances included within the computing environment 101. In
some embodiments, the network 104 can be: a local-area network
(LAN); a metropolitan area network (MAN); a wide area network
(WAN); a primary network 104 comprised of multiple sub-networks 104
located between the client machines 102 and the servers 106; a
primary public network 104 with a private sub-network 104; a
primary private network 104 with a public sub-network 104; or a
primary private network 104 with a private sub-network 104. Still
further embodiments include a network 104 that can be any of the
following network types: a point to point network; a broadcast
network; a telecommunications network; a data communication
network; a computer network; an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)
network; a SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) network; a SDH
(Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) network; a wireless network; a
wireline network; or a network 104 that includes a wireless link
where the wireless link can be an infrared channel or satellite
band. The network topology of the network 104 can differ within
different embodiments, possible network topologies include: a bus
network topology; a star network topology; a ring network topology;
a repeater-based network topology; or a tiered-star network
topology. Additional embodiments may include a network 104 of
mobile telephone networks that use a protocol to communicate among
mobile devices, where the protocol can be any one of the following:
AMPS; TDMA; CDMA; GSM; GPRS UMTS; or any other protocol able to
transmit data among mobile devices.
[0041] Illustrated in FIG. 2B is an embodiment of a computing
device 100, where the client machine 102 and server 106 illustrated
in FIG. 2A can be deployed as and/or executed on any embodiment of
the computing device 100 illustrated and described herein. Included
within the computing device 100 is a system bus 150 that
communicates with the following components: a central processing
unit 121; a main memory 122; storage memory 128; an input/output
(I/O) controller 123; display devices 124A-124N; an installation
device 116; and a network interface 118. In one embodiment, the
storage memory 128 includes: an operating system, software
routines, and a client agent 120. The I/O controller 123, in some
embodiments, is further connected to a key board 126, and a
pointing device 127. Other embodiments may include an I/O
controller 123 connected to more than one input/output device
130A-130N.
[0042] FIG. 2C illustrates one embodiment of a computing device
100, where the client machine 102 and server 106 illustrated in
FIG. 2A can be deployed as and/or executed on any embodiment of the
computing device 100 illustrated and described herein. Included
within the computing device 100 is a system bus 150 that
communicates with the following components: a bridge 170, and a
first I/O device 130A. In another embodiment, the bridge 170 is in
further communication with the main central processing unit 121,
where the central processing unit 121 can further communicate with
a second I/O device 130B, a main memory 122, and a cache memory
140. Included within the central processing unit 121, are I/O
ports, a memory port 103, and a main processor.
[0043] Embodiments of the computing machine 100 can include a
central processing unit 121 characterized by any one of the
following component configurations: logic circuits that respond to
and process instructions fetched from the main memory unit 122; a
microprocessor unit, such as: those manufactured by Intel
Corporation; those manufactured by Motorola Corporation; those
manufactured by Transmeta Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif.; the
RS/6000 processor such as those manufactured by International
Business Machines; a processor such as those manufactured by
Advanced Micro Devices; or any other combination of logic circuits.
Still other embodiments of the central processing unit 122 may
include any combination of the following: a microprocessor, a
microcontroller, a central processing unit with a single processing
core, a central processing unit with two processing cores, or a
central processing unit with more than one processing core.
[0044] While FIG. 2C illustrates a computing device 100 that
includes a single central processing unit 121, in some embodiments
the computing device 100 can include one or more processing units
121. In these embodiments, the computing device 100 may store and
execute firmware or other executable instructions that, when
executed, direct the one or more processing units 121 to
simultaneously execute instructions or to simultaneously execute
instructions on a single piece of data. In other embodiments, the
computing device 100 may store and execute firmware or other
executable instructions that, when executed, direct the one or more
processing units to each execute a section of a group of
instructions. For example, each processing unit 121 may be
instructed to execute a portion of a program or a particular module
within a program.
[0045] In some embodiments, the processing unit 121 can include one
or more processing cores. For example, the processing unit 121 may
have two cores, four cores, eight cores, etc. In one embodiment,
the processing unit 121 may comprise one or more parallel
processing cores. The processing cores of the processing unit 121
may in some embodiments access available memory as a global address
space, or in other embodiments, memory within the computing device
100 can be segmented and assigned to a particular core within the
processing unit 121. In one embodiment, the one or more processing
cores or processors in the computing device 100 can each access
local memory. In still another embodiment, memory within the
computing device 100 can be shared amongst one or more processors
or processing cores, while other memory can be accessed by
particular processors or subsets of processors. In embodiments
where the computing device 100 includes more than one processing
unit, the multiple processing units can be included in a single
integrated circuit (IC). These multiple processors, in some
embodiments, can be linked together by an internal high speed bus,
which may be referred to as an element interconnect bus.
[0046] In embodiments where the computing device 100 includes one
or more processing units 121, or a processing unit 121 including
one or more processing cores, the processors can execute a single
instruction simultaneously on multiple pieces of data (SIMD), or in
other embodiments can execute multiple instructions simultaneously
on multiple pieces of data (MIMD). In some embodiments, the
computing device 100 can include any number of SIMD and MIMD
processors.
[0047] The computing device 100, in some embodiments, can include a
graphics processor or a graphics processing unit (Not Shown). The
graphics processing unit can include any combination of software
and hardware, and can further input graphics data and graphics
instructions, render a graphic from the inputted data and
instructions, and output the rendered graphic. In some embodiments,
the graphics processing unit can be included within the processing
unit 121. In other embodiments, the computing device 100 can
include one or more processing units 121, where at least one
processing unit 121 is dedicated to processing and rendering
graphics.
[0048] One embodiment of the computing machine 100 includes a
central processing unit 121 that communicates with cache memory 140
via a secondary bus also known as a backside bus, while another
embodiment of the computing machine 100 includes a central
processing unit 121 that communicates with cache memory via the
system bus 150. The local system bus 150 can, in some embodiments,
also be used by the central processing unit to communicate with
more than one type of I/O device 130A-130N. In some embodiments,
the local system bus 150 can be any one of the following types of
buses: a VESA VL bus; an ISA bus; an EISA bus; a MicroChannel
Architecture (MCA) bus; a PCI bus; a PCI-X bus; a PCI-Express bus;
or a NuBus. Other embodiments of the computing machine 100 include
an I/O device 130A-130N that is a video display 124 that
communicates with the central processing unit 121. Still other
versions of the computing machine 100 include a processor 121
connected to an I/O device 130A-130N via any one of the following
connections: HyperTransport, Rapid I/O, or InfiniBand. Further
embodiments of the computing machine 100 include a processor 121
that communicates with one I/O device 130A using a local
interconnect bus and a second I/O device 130B using a direct
connection.
[0049] The computing device 100, in some embodiments, includes a
main memory unit 122 and cache memory 140. The cache memory 140 can
be any memory type, and in some embodiments can be any one of the
following types of memory: SRAM; BSRAM; or EDRAM. Other embodiments
include cache memory 140 and a main memory unit 122 that can be any
one of the following types of memory: Static random access memory
(SRAM), Burst SRAM or SynchBurst SRAM (BSRAM); Dynamic random
access memory (DRAM); Fast Page Mode DRAM (FPM DRAM); Enhanced DRAM
(EDRAM), Extended Data Output RAM (EDO RAM); Extended Data Output
DRAM (EDO DRAM); Burst Extended Data Output DRAM (BEDO DRAM);
Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM); synchronous DRAM (SDRAM); JEDEC SRAM; PC100
SDRAM; Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM); Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM);
SyncLink DRAM (SLDRAM); Direct Rambus DRAM (DRDRAM); Ferroelectric
RAM (FRAM); or any other type of memory. Further embodiments
include a central processing unit 121 that can access the main
memory 122 via: a system bus 150; a memory port 103; or any other
connection, bus or port that allows the processor 121 to access
memory 122.
[0050] One embodiment of the computing device 100 provides support
for any one of the following installation devices 116: a CD-ROM
drive, a CD-R/RW drive, a DVD-ROM drive, tape drives of various
formats, USB device, a bootable medium, a bootable CD, a bootable
CD for GNU/Linux distribution such as KNOPPIX.RTM., a hard-drive or
any other device suitable for installing applications or software.
Applications can in some embodiments include a client agent 120, or
any portion of a client agent 120. The computing device 100 may
further include a storage device 128 that can be either one or more
hard disk drives, or one or more redundant arrays of independent
disks; where the storage device is configured to store an operating
system, software, programs applications, or at least a portion of
the client agent 120. A further embodiment of the computing device
100 includes an installation device 116 that is used as the storage
device 128.
[0051] The computing device 100 may further include a network
interface 118 to interface to a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area
Network (WAN) or the Internet through a variety of connections
including, but not limited to, standard telephone lines, LAN or WAN
links (e.g., 802.11, T1, T3, 56kb, X.25, SNA, DECNET), broadband
connections (e.g., ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM, Gigabit Ethernet,
Ethernet-over-SONET), wireless connections, or some combination of
any or all of the above. Connections can also be established using
a variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, IPX, SPX,
NetBIOS, Ethernet, ARCNET, SONET, SDH, Fiber Distributed Data
Interface (FDDI), RS232, RS485, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE
802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, CDMA, GSM, WiMax and direct asynchronous
connections). One version of the computing device 100 includes a
network interface 118 able to communicate with additional computing
devices 100' via any type and/or form of gateway or tunneling
protocol such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer
Security (TLS), or the Citrix Gateway Protocol manufactured by
Citrix Systems, Inc. Versions of the network interface 118 can
comprise any one of: a built-in network adapter; a network
interface card; a PCMCIA network card; a card bus network adapter;
a wireless network adapter; a USB network adapter; a modem; or any
other device suitable for interfacing the computing device 100 to a
network capable of communicating and performing the methods and
systems described herein.
[0052] Embodiments of the computing device 100 include any one of
the following I/O devices 130A-130N: a keyboard 126; a pointing
device 127; mice; trackpads; an optical pen; trackballs;
microphones; drawing tablets; video displays; speakers; inkjet
printers; laser printers; and dye- sublimation printers; or any
other input/output device able to perform the methods and systems
described herein. An I/O controller 123 may in some embodiments
connect to multiple I/O devices 103A-130N to control the one or
more I/O devices. Some embodiments of the I/O devices 130A-130N may
be configured to provide storage or an installation medium 116,
while others may provide a universal serial bus (USB) interface for
receiving USB storage devices such as the USB Flash Drive line of
devices manufactured by Twintech Industry, Inc. Still other
embodiments include an I/O device 130 that may be a bridge between
the system bus 150 and an external communication bus, such as: a
USB bus; an Apple Desktop Bus; an RS-232 serial connection; a SCSI
bus; a FireWire bus; a FireWire 800 bus; an Ethernet bus; an
AppleTalk bus; a Gigabit Ethernet bus; an Asynchronous Transfer
Mode bus; a HIPPI bus; a Super HIPPI bus; a SerialPlus bus; a
SCI/LAMP bus; a FibreChannel bus; or a Serial Attached small
computer system interface bus.
[0053] In some embodiments, the computing machine 100 can connect
to multiple display devices 124A-124N, in other embodiments the
computing device 100 can connect to a single display device 124,
while in still other embodiments the computing device 100 connects
to display devices 124A-124N that are the same type or form of
display, or to display devices that are different types or forms.
Embodiments of the display devices 124A-124N can be supported and
enabled by the following: one or multiple I/O devices 130A-130N;
the I/O controller 123; a combination of I/O device(s) 130A-130N
and the I/O controller 123; any combination of hardware and
software able to support a display device 124A-124N; any type
and/or form of video adapter, video card, driver, and/or library to
interface, communicate, connect or otherwise use the display
devices 124A-124N. The computing device 100 may in some embodiments
be configured to use one or multiple display devices 124A-124N,
these configurations include: having multiple connectors to
interface to multiple display devices 124A-124N; having multiple
video adapters, with each video adapter connected to one or more of
the display devices 124A-124N; having an operating system
configured to support multiple displays 124A-124N; using circuits
and software included within the computing device 100 to connect to
and use multiple display devices 124A-124N; and executing software
on the main computing device 100 and multiple secondary computing
devices to enable the main computing device 100 to use a secondary
computing device's display as a display device 124A-124N for the
main computing device 100. Still other embodiments of the computing
device 100 may include multiple display devices 124A-124N provided
by multiple secondary computing devices and connected to the main
computing device 100 via a network.
[0054] In some embodiments, the computing machine 100 can execute
any operating system, while in other embodiments the computing
machine 100 can execute any of the following operating systems:
versions of the MICROSOFT WINDOWS operating systems such as WINDOWS
3.x; WINDOWS 95; WINDOWS 98; WINDOWS 2000; WINDOWS NT 3.51; WINDOWS
NT 4.0; WINDOWS CE; WINDOWS XP; and WINDOWS VISTA; the different
releases of the Unix and Linux operating systems; any version of
the MAC OS manufactured by Apple Computer; OS/2, manufactured by
International Business Machines; any embedded operating system; any
real-time operating system; any open source operating system; any
proprietary operating system; any operating systems for mobile
computing devices; or any other operating system. In still another
embodiment, the computing machine 100 can execute multiple
operating systems. For example, the computing machine 100 can
execute PARALLELS or another virtualization platform that can
execute or manage a virtual machine executing a first operating
system, while the computing machine 100 executes a second operating
system different from the first operating system.
[0055] The computing machine 100 can be embodied in any one of the
following computing devices: a computing workstation; a desktop
computer; a laptop or notebook computer; a server; a handheld
computer; a mobile telephone; a portable telecommunication device;
a media playing device; a gaming system; a mobile computing device;
a netbook; a device of the IPOD family of devices manufactured by
Apple Computer; any one of the PLAYSTATION family of devices
manufactured by the Sony Corporation; any one of the Nintendo
family of devices manufactured by Nintendo Co; any one of the XBOX
family of devices manufactured by the Microsoft Corporation; or any
other type and/or form of computing, telecommunications or media
device that is capable of communication and that has sufficient
processor power and memory capacity to perform the methods and
systems described herein. In other embodiments the computing
machine 100 can be a mobile device such as any one of the following
mobile devices: a JAVA-enabled cellular telephone or personal
digital assistant (PDA), such as the i55sr, i58sr, i85s, i88s,
i90c, i95cl, or the im1100, all of which are manufactured by
Motorola Corp; the 6035 or the 7135, manufactured by Kyocera; the
i300 or i330, manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd; the
TREO 180, 270, 600, 650, 680, 700p, 700w, or 750 smart phone
manufactured by Palm, Inc; any computing device that has different
processors, operating systems, and input devices consistent with
the device; or any other mobile computing device capable of
performing the methods and systems described herein. In still other
embodiments, the computing device 100 can be any one of the
following mobile computing devices: any one series of Blackberry,
or other handheld device manufactured by Research In Motion
Limited; the iPhone manufactured by Apple Computer; Palm Pre; a
Pocket PC; a Pocket PC Phone; or any other handheld mobile
device.
[0056] Referring now to FIG. 2D, together the servers 106 comprise
a farm 38 or server farm, where each server 106 can include a
network-side interface 202 and a farm-side interface 204. The
network-side interface 202 can be in communication with one or more
clients 102 or a network 104. The network 104 can be a WAN, LAN, or
any other embodiment of a network such those networks described
above.
[0057] Each server 106 has a farm-side interface 204 connected with
one or more farm-side interface(s) 204 of other servers 106 in the
farm 38. In one embodiment, each farm-side interface 204 is
interconnected to other farm-side interfaces 204 such that the
servers 106 within the farm 38 may communicate with one another. On
each server 106, the farm-side interface 204 communicates with the
network-side interface 202. The farm-side interfaces 204 can also
communicate (designated by arrows 220) with a persistent store 230
and, in some embodiments, with a dynamic store 240. The combination
of servers 106, the persistent store 230, and the dynamic store
240, when provided, are collectively referred to as a farm 38. In
some embodiments, a server 106 communicates with the persistent
store 230 and other servers 106' communicate with the server 106 to
access information stored in the persistent store.
[0058] The persistent store 230 may be physically implemented on a
disk, disk farm, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID),
writeable compact disc, or any other device that allows data to be
read and written and that maintains written data if power is
removed from the storage device. A single physical device may
provide storage for a plurality of persistent stores, i.e., a
single physical device may be used to provide the persistent store
230 for more than one farm 38. The persistent store 230 maintains
static data associated with each server 106 in farm 38 and global
data used by all servers 106 within the farm 38. In one embodiment,
the persistent store 230 may maintain the server data in a
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) data model. In other
embodiments, the persistent store 230 stores server data in an
ODBC-compliant database. For the purposes of this description, the
term "static data" refers to data that do not change frequently,
i.e., data that change only on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis,
or data that never change. Each server uses a persistent storage
subsystem to read data from and write data to the persistent store
230.
[0059] The data stored by the persistent store 230 may be
replicated for reliability purposes physically or logically. For
example, physical redundancy may be provided using a set of
redundant, mirrored disks, each providing a copy of the data. In
other embodiments, the database itself may be replicated using
standard database techniques to provide multiple copies of the
database. In further embodiments, both physical and logical
replication may be used concurrently.
[0060] The dynamic store 240 (i.e., the collection of all record
tables) can be embodied in various ways. In one embodiment, the
dynamic store 240 is centralized; that is, all runtime data are
stored in the memory of one server 106 in the farm 38. That server
operates as a master network node with which all other servers 106
in the farm 38 communicate when seeking access to that runtime
data. In another embodiment, each server 106 in the farm 38 keeps a
full copy of the dynamic store 240. Here, each server 106
communicates with every other server 106 to keep its copy of the
dynamic store 240 up to date.
[0061] In another embodiment, each server 106 maintains its own
runtime data and communicates with other servers 106 when seeking
to obtain runtime data from them. Thus, for example, a server 106
attempting to find an application program requested by the client
102 may communicate directly with every other server 106 in the
farm 38 to find one or more servers hosting the requested
application.
[0062] For farms 38 having a large number of servers 106, the
network traffic produced by these embodiments can become heavy. One
embodiment alleviates heavy network traffic by designating a subset
of the servers 106 in a farm 38, typically two or more, as
"collector points." Generally, a collector point is a server that
collects run-time data. Each collector point stores runtime data
collected from certain other servers 106 in the farm 38. Each
server 106 in the farm 38 is capable of operating as, and
consequently is capable of being designated as, a collector point.
In one embodiment, each collector point stores a copy of the entire
dynamic store 240. In another embodiment, each collector point
stores a portion of the dynamic store 240, i.e., it maintains
runtime data of a particular data type. The type of data stored by
a server 106 may be predetermined according to one or more
criteria. For example, servers 106 may store different types of
data based on their boot order. Alternatively, the type of data
stored by a server 106 may be configured by an administrator using
an administration tool (Not Shown.) In these embodiments, the
dynamic store 240 is distributed amongst two or more servers 106 in
the farm 38.
[0063] Servers 106 not designated as collector points know the
servers 106 in a farm 38 that are designated as collector points. A
server 180 not designated as a collector point may communicate with
a particular collector point when delivering and requesting runtime
data. Consequently, collector points lighten network traffic
because each server 106 in the farm 38 communicates with a single
collector point server 106, rather than with every other server
106, when seeking to access the runtime data.
[0064] Each server 106 can operate as a collector point for more
than one type of data. For example, server 106'' can operate as a
collector point for licensing information and for loading
information. In these embodiments, each collector point may amass a
different type of run-time data. For example, to illustrate this
case, the server 106''' can collect licensing information, while
the server 106'' collects loading information.
[0065] In some embodiments, each collector point stores data that
is shared between all servers 106 in a farm 38. In these
embodiments, each collector point of a particular type of data
exchanges the data collected by that collector point with every
other collector point for that type of data in the farm 38. Thus,
upon completion of the exchange of such data, each collector point
106'' and 106 possesses the same data. Also in these embodiments,
each collector point 106 and 106'' also keeps every other collector
point abreast of any updates to the runtime data.
[0066] Browsing enables a client 102 to view farms 38, servers 106,
and applications in the farms 38 and to access available
information such as sessions throughout the farm 38. Each server
106 includes an ICA browsing subsystem 260 to provide the client
102 with browsing capability. After the client 102 establishes a
connection with the ICA browser subsystem 260 of any of the servers
106, that browser subsystem supports a variety of client requests.
Such client requests include: (1) enumerating names of servers in
the farm, (2) enumerating names of applications published in the
farm, (3) resolving a server name and/or application name to a
server address that is useful the client 102. The ICA browser
subsystem 260 also supports requests made by clients 10 running a
program neighborhood application that provides the client 102, upon
request, with a view of those applications within the farm 38 for
which the user is authorized. The ICA browser subsystem 260
forwards all of the above-mentioned client requests to the
appropriate subsystem in the server 106.
[0067] In one embodiment, each server 106 in the farm 38 that has a
program neighborhood subsystem 270 can provide the user of a client
102 with a view of applications within the farm 38. The program
neighborhood subsystem 270 may limit the view to those applications
for which the user of the client 102 has authorization to access.
Typically, this program neighborhood service presents the
applications to the user as a list or a group of icons.
[0068] The functionality provided by the program neighborhood
subsystem 270 can be available to two types of clients, (1) program
neighborhood-enabled clients that can access the functionality
directly from a client desktop, and (2) non-program
neighborhood-enabled clients (e.g., legacy clients) that can access
the functionality by running a program neighborhood-enabled desktop
on the server.
[0069] Communication between a program neighborhood-enabled client
and the program neighborhood subsystem 270 may occur over a
dedicated virtual channel that is established on top of an ICA
virtual channel. In other embodiments, the communication occurs
using an XML service. In one of these embodiments, the program
neighborhood-enabled client communicates with an XML subsystem,
such as the XML service 516 described in connection with FIG. 6
below, providing program neighborhood functionality on a server
106.
[0070] In one embodiment, the program neighborhood-enabled client
does not have a connection with the server with a program
neighborhood subsystem 270. For this embodiment, the client 102
sends a request to the ICA browser subsystem 260 to establish an
ICA connection to the server 106 in order to identify applications
available to the client 102. The client 102 then runs a client-side
dialog that acquires the credentials of a user. The credentials are
received by the ICA browser subsystem 260 and sent to the program
neighborhood subsystem 270. In one embodiment, the program
neighborhood subsystem 270 sends the credentials to a user
management subsystem for authentication. The user management
subsystem may return a set of distinguished names representing the
list of accounts to which the user belongs. Upon authentication,
the program neighborhood subsystem 270 establishes the program
neighborhood virtual channel. This channel remains open until the
application filtering is complete.
[0071] The program neighborhood subsystem 270 then requests the
program neighborhood information from the common application
subsystem 524 associated with those accounts. The common
application subsystem 524 obtains the program neighborhood
information from the persistent store 230. On receiving the program
neighborhood information, the program neighborhood subsystem 270
formats and returns the program neighborhood information to the
client over the program neighborhood virtual channel. Then the
partial ICA connection is closed.
[0072] For another example in which the program
neighborhood-enabled client establishes a partial ICA connection
with a server, consider the user of the client 102 who selects a
farm 38. The selection of the farm 38 sends a request from the
client 102 to the ICA browser subsystem 260 to establish an ICA
connection with one of the servers 106 in the selected farm 38. The
ICA browser subsystem 260 sends the request to the program
neighborhood subsystem 270, which selects a server 106 in the farm
38. Address information associated with the server 106 is
identified and returned to the client 102 by way of the ICA browser
subsystem 260. The client 102 can then subsequently connect to the
server 106 corresponding to the received address information.
[0073] In another embodiment, the program neighborhood-enabled
client 102 establishes an ICA connection upon which the program
neighborhood-virtual channel is established and remains open for as
long as the ICA connection persists. Over this program neighborhood
virtual channel, the program neighborhood subsystem 270 pushes
program neighborhood information updates to the client 102. To
obtain updates, the program neighborhood subsystem 270 subscribes
to events from the common application subsystem 524 to allow the
program neighborhood subsystem 270 to detect changes to published
applications.
[0074] Referring to FIG. 2E, a block diagram depicts another
embodiment of a system architecture for providing a plurality of
application programs available to the client via publishing of GUIs
in a web service directory. The system includes the client 102, and
a plurality of servers 106. A first server 106 functions as a
content server. A second server 106' provides web server
functionality, and a third server 106'' provides functionality for
providing access to application files and acts as an application
server or a file server. The client 102 can download content from
the content server 106, the web server 106', and the application
server 106'' over the network 104. In one embodiment, the client
102 can download content (e.g., an application) from the
application server 106'' over the client-application server
communication channel 150.
[0075] In one embodiment, the web browser 11 on the client 102 uses
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) support for communications to the content
server 106 and/or the web server 106'. SSL is a secure protocol
developed by Netscape Communication Corporation of Mountain View,
Calif., and is now a standard promulgated by the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF). The web browser 11 can alternatively
connect to the content server 106 and/or the web server 106' using
other security protocols, such as, but not limited to, Secure
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (SHTTP) developed by Terisa Systems of
Los Altos, Calif., HTTP over SSL (HTTPS), Private Communication
Technology (PCT) developed by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond,
Wash., and the Transport Level Security (TLS) standard promulgated
by the IETF. In other embodiments, the web browser 11 communicates
with the servers 106 using a communications protocol without
encryption, such as the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
[0076] The client 102 can additionally include an application
client 13 for establishing and exchanging communications with the
application server 106'' over the client-application server
communication channel 150. In one embodiment, the application
client 13 is a GUI application. In some embodiments, the
application client 13 is an Independent Computing Architecture
(ICA) client, developed by Citrix Systems, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., and is also referred to below as ICA client 13. Other
embodiments of the application client 13 include a Remote Display
Protocol (RDP) client, developed by Microsoft Corporation of
Redmond, Wash., an X-Windows client 13, a client-side player,
interpreter or simulator capable of executing multimedia
applications, email, Java, or .NET code. Moreover, in one
embodiment the output of an application executing on the
application server 106'' can be displayed at the client 102 via the
ICA client 13. In some embodiments, the application client 13 is an
application client such as the application streaming client 552,
described in greater detail in connection with FIG. 5.
[0077] The client 102 searches the web service directory 160 for a
web service. In one embodiment, the search is a manual search.
Alternatively, the search is an automatic search. The web service
directory 160 may also provide a service based view, such as white
and yellow pages, to search for web services in the web service
directory. In another embodiment, the web service directory 160
supports a hierarchical browsing based on a structured service name
and service kind for GUI applications. In one embodiment, the web
service directory 160 executes on a server independent of the
content server 106, such as a directory server. In other
embodiments, the web service directory 160 executes on multiple
servers.
[0078] In some embodiments, the content server 106 enables the
client 102 to select web services based on additional analysis or
information by providing this information or analysis in the web
service directory 160. Examples of service information that the web
service directory 160 can list includes, but is not limited to, the
name of the business offering the service, the service type, a
textual description of the service, one or more service access
points (SAPs), the network type, the path to use (e.g., TCP or
HTTPS), and quality of service (QoS) information. Moreover, service
information can be client device type or user (e.g., role)
specific. Thus, service selection can be based on one or more of
the above attributes.
[0079] In one embodiment, the service type denotes a programming
interface that the client 102 must use to access the web service.
For instance, the service type can state that the service is
encoded by an interface description language, such as Web Services
Description Language (WSDL).
[0080] The service access point, or SAP, is a unique address for an
application. The SAPs enable the computer system to support
multiple applications at the client 102 and each server 106. For
example, the application server 106'' may support an electronic
mail (i.e., e-mail) application, a file transfer application,
and/or a GUI application. In one embodiment, these applications
would each have a SAP that is unique within the application server
106''. In one embodiment, the SAP is a web or Internet address
(e.g., Domain Name System (DNS) name, IP/port, or Uniform Resource
Locator (URL)). Thus, in one embodiment the SAP identifies the
address of the web server 106' as part of the address for an
application stored on the web server 106'. In some embodiments, the
SAP identifies the address of a publishing server plug-in 165 as
part of the address for an application stored on the web server
106', as described below. In one embodiment, the SAP is an
"accessPoint" from the UDDI registry.
[0081] To prepare an item for publishing in the web service
directory 160, the content server 106 includes a web publishing
tool 170. In one embodiment, the web publishing tool 173 is a
software module. Alternatively, the web publishing tool 173 is
another server that may be externally located from or internally
located in the content server 106.
[0082] In one embodiment, the web server 106' delivers web pages to
the client 102. The web server 106' can be any server 106 capable
of providing web pages to the client 102. In another embodiment,
the web server 106' is an Enterprise Information Portal (e.g.,
corporate Intranet or secured business-to-business extranet).
Enterprise portals are company web sites that aggregate,
personalize and serve applications, data and content to users,
while offering management tools for organizing and using
information more efficiently. In some companies, portals have
replaced traditional desktop software with browser-based access to
a virtual workplace.
[0083] The web server 106' can also include a publishing server
plug-in 165 to enable the publishing of graphical user interface
(GUI) applications. More specifically, the publishing server
plug-in 165 translates a new web service entry URL into a GUI
application service so that the GUI can be accessed via the web
service directory 160. In one embodiment, the publishing server
plug-in 165 is a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script, which is a
program designed to accept and return data that conforms to the CGI
specification. The program can be written in any programming
language, such as C, Perl, Java, or Visual Basic. In another
embodiment, the publishing server plug-in 165 is a Java Server Page
(JSP). Using the publishing server plug-in 165 to facilitate the
publishing of remote GUI applications, the client 102 can thereby
access the web service, not through a programming interface or a
web page, but through a full GUI interface, such as with Citrix's
ICA or Microsoft's RDP.
[0084] The application server 106'' hosts one or more applications
that are available for the client 102. Examples of such
applications include word processing programs such as MICROSOFT
WORD and spreadsheet programs such as MICROSOFT EXCEL, both
manufactured by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., financial
reporting programs, customer registration programs, programs
providing technical support information, customer database
applications, or application set managers.
[0085] In some embodiments, one or more communication links 150 are
established over different networks. For example, the
client-content server communication channel 150' can belong to a
first network (e.g., the World Wide Web) and the client-web server
communication channel 150'' can belong to a second network (e.g., a
secured extranet or Virtual Private Network (VPN)).
[0086] In one embodiment, the web publishing tool 173 stores
information about an application that the web publishing tool 173
is currently publishing in the web service directory 160 in a
persistent mass storage 225. In one embodiment the information is a
URL for the dynamic publishing server plug-in 165. The persistent
mass storage 225 may be a magnetic disk or magneto-optical drive.
In one embodiment, the persistent mass storage 225 is a database
server, which stores data related to the published application in
one or more local service databases. The persistent mass storage
225 may be a component internally located in or externally located
from any or all of the servers 106.
[0087] In other embodiments, the content server 106 or the web
server 106' communicate with a server 106 in the farm 38 to
retrieve the list of applications. In one of these embodiments, the
content server 106 or the web server 106' communicate with the farm
38 instead of with the persistent mass storage 225.
[0088] Illustrated in FIG. 3 is one embodiment of a system that
includes a file server 106 that can maintain multiple user profiles
for multiple users. The file server 106 can host any number of user
sessions where each user session 406, 412, 414 corresponds to a
user. Each user session can store user data such as user files 402,
403, 405, where together the user data may be referred to as a user
profile. Executing on the server 106 can be a server communication
client 410 that facilitates communication between the file server
106 and clients 102, 102', 102'' (generally referred to as clients
102) over a network 104. The server communication client 410 can
communicate with any number of components on the clients 102 and
can in some embodiments communicate with a communication client 404
executing on the clients 102. Each client 102, 102', 102'' can be
accessed by a user and can host a user session 406, 406', 406''
(generally referred to as user session 406.) Each user session 406
can include files and data of the user or stored in the user's
profile, and can execute a communication client 404.
[0089] Further referring to FIG. 3, and in more detail, in some
embodiments the clients 102 can be any client 102 or any computer
100 described herein. Similarly, in other embodiments the file
server 106 can be any server 106 or any computer described herein.
The network 104 can be any network 104 described herein.
[0090] A user session 406, 412, 414 executing on the file server
106 can be a session established between a user and the file server
106. In other embodiments, the user session can be a period of time
during which a user is permitted to access the file server 106, a
time period during which the user accesses the file server 106, or
a period of time during which the user is authenticated to the file
server 106. During this period of time, the user may have access to
files, applications, settings and data available to or assigned to
the user. In some embodiments, the files, applications, settings
and data available to the user are referred to as the user profile.
Illustrated in FIG. 3 are three user sessions 406, 412, 414 that in
some embodiments, are associated with three different users. For
example, user session 1 406 may be associated with user 1, while
user session 2 412 may be associated with user 2, and user session
3 414 may be associated with user 3. In other embodiments, two or
more user sessions can be associated with a single user. For
example, user session 1 406 and user session 2 412 can be
associated with user 1.
[0091] In some embodiments, a user session can be established by a
user of a client 102. In these embodiments a user of the client
computer 102 can initiate the creation of a connection between the
client 102 and the file server 106 by requesting a file, data or
access to files, data or applications executing on the file server
106 or on a server communicating with the file server 106. Upon
establishing a connection with the file server 106, a user session
is created. This user session can, in some embodiments, represent
the period of time during which the user accesses information on or
available to the file server 106.
[0092] The user sessions 406, 406', 406'' of the clients 102 can be
a client-side 102 representation of the time during which a user of
a client computer 102 accesses information on or accessible to the
file server 106. Just as any number of individual user sessions can
execute on either a client 102 or the file server 106, so also any
number of instances of a particular user session can execute on
either a client 102 or the file server 106. For example, FIG. 3
illustrates an embodiment where an instance of user session 1 406,
406', 406'' that executes on each of the three client computers
102. In another embodiment, each client 102 could execute a
different user session, e.g. user session 1 406, user session 2
412, and user session 3 414.
[0093] In some embodiments, each user session can correspond to a
unique user such that user session 1 406 corresponds to user 1 and
user session 2 412 corresponds to user 2. In other embodiments,
each user session can correspond to one or more users such that
user session 1 406 corresponds to user 1 and user session 2 412
corresponds to user 1. In still other embodiments, each user
session can correspond to a unique user while multiple instances of
a user session can correspond to a single user. For example, user
session 1 406 corresponds to user 1 and user session 2 412
corresponds to user 2; however a first instance of user session 1
406 and a second instance of user session 1 406' can correspond to
a single user 1.
[0094] In some embodiments, one or more user sessions or user
session instances that correspond to a single user, e.g. user 1,
may overlap such that at any point in time the user session or
login sessions are concurrent. In this embodiment a user can be
logged into or accessing the file server 106 via a first user
session 406 and a second user session 412. In another aspect, the
user can be logged into or accessing the file server 106 via a
first instance of a user session 406 and a second instance of a
user session 406'. In each aspect, the user accesses or is logged
into the file server 106 via two concurrent, simultaneous and
overlapping user sessions. The user sessions are concurrent and
simultaneous because they persist and exist during a same period of
time. In these embodiments, the user can access an instance of the
user profile via any one of the user sessions.
[0095] In some embodiments, a user can establish a user session
using a communication client 404 executing on a client 102. In one
embodiment, the communication client 404 can execute within the
user session 406, while in other embodiments the communication
client 404 can execute outside of the user session 406 and on the
client computer 102. In some embodiments, when a user issues, via
the client computer 102, a request for access to a file,
information or an application on a remote server, the communication
client 404 can facilitate the creation of a communication
connection or virtual channel between the client 102 and the
server. Facilitating the communication connection can include
authenticating the user to the server, generating a session token,
or otherwise establishing the user session and/or the virtual
channel between the client computer 102 and the server.
[0096] In one embodiment each user session hosted on the file
server 106 can include or correspond to one or more user files 402,
403, 405. These user files 402, 403, 405 can be referred to as a
user profile. In some embodiments, the user profile can include
files, data, settings, configurations, applications, or any other
similar information. This information can be information that the
user is permitted to access or modify, while in other embodiments
the information can be specific to the user such that they are
user-specific settings or user-created files. In other embodiments,
the information can be information assigned to the user, e.g. a
public folder or application. Generally, the user profile can be a
set of characteristics and information specific to a particular
user. For example, the user profile may contain: a shortcut to a my
documents folder; a my documents folder; a set of links classified
by the user as "favorites;" a set of links indicating a history of
the user's web-browsing; a set of network share drives or printers;
a desktop; a set of files used to configure a start menu; a user's
personalized settings for the software included within the profile;
a set of programs; data files; program files; configuration files;
and any other data that can be used to set up an environment
specific to a particular user.
[0097] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment where each user session
corresponds to a unique user. In this embodiment, each set of user
files or each user profile also corresponds to a unique user. In
other embodiments, when one or more user sessions correspond to a
single user, the user files or user profile available to that user
session is the same set of user files for that particular, single
user.
[0098] Illustrated in FIG. 4 is an embodiment of a system for
mitigating potential user profile inconsistencies caused when a
user is provided with just-in-time delivery of profile contents,
and when the user accesses the user profile via more than one
client computing machine. In one embodiment, a user can access the
user's profile on a file server 106 via a first user session 406, a
second user session 406' or a third user session 406''. The file
server 106 can contain both a base user profile 510 and a
provisional user profile 520. In one embodiment, when the user
accesses files within the user's profile, the user can access files
in either the base user profile 510 or the provisional user profile
520. A server agent 530 executing on the file server 106 can manage
whether the user receives a requested file from the base user
profile 510 or from the provisional user profile 520.
[0099] Further referring to FIG. 4 and in more detail, the file
server 106 can be any embodiment of the servers 106 described
herein. In some embodiments, the user can access the file server
106 via user sessions 406, 406', 406'' on one or more client
machines 102. Thus, in some embodiments the user may access the
file server 106 via a user session 406 executing on a client
computer 102, the user may access the file server 106 via the
second user session 406', or a third user session 406''. The file
server 106, in some embodiments, can require no additional
executable program code or applications to permit the file server
106 to deliver consistent user profiles just in time. Rather, an
existing file server 106 with no additional features can be used to
accomplish the just in time delivery described herein. In one
embodiment, the user sessions may be referred to as login sessions.
The user sessions can each execute on a separate client computer
102, while in other embodiments two or more user sessions can
execute on the same client computer 102.
[0100] In some embodiments, each user session 406, 406', 406''
(referred to generally as user session 406) can have a start time
and end time. The start time, in some embodiments, can be the time
when the user session begins and can be referred to as a login
time. This start time can be when the user initiates a login
procedure, the time when a user is authenticated to the file server
106, or the point in time when the virtual channel between the
client 102 and the file server 106 is created. The end time, in
some embodiments, can be the time when the user session ends and
can be referred to as the logoff time. An end time can be the time
when the user session ends, the time when the virtual channel
between the client 102 and the file server 106 is destroyed, or
another predetermined time. In some embodiments, the file server
106 can track the amount of idle time accumulated during each user
session 406. When the amount of idle time reaches a predetermined
threshold, the file server 106 may terminate the user session.
[0101] User sessions may overlap or execute concurrently such that
the start time for one user session can occur after the start time
for another user session but before the end time of that user
session. In some embodiments, user sessions for the same user can
overlap or execute concurrently. FIG. 4 illustrates three user
sessions 406 of a single user. Although each of these user sessions
406 was initiated by the same user, they still execute
concurrently. For example, a second user session 406' logon time is
after the logon time of the first user session 406 but before the
logoff time of the first user session 406. Additionally, the logon
time for a third user session 406'' may occur after the logoff time
of the second user session 406' but before the logoff time of the
first user session 406. Thus, at some point in time, the first user
session and the second user session execute concurrently or
simultaneously and the first user session and the third user
session execute concurrently or simultaneously.
[0102] Included on the file server 106 is a base user profile 510
associated with the user. In one embodiment, the base user profile
510 includes the files associated with a particular user. The base
user profile 510 can be considered in some instances the core or
main user profile such that the base user profile 510 maintains a
current and up-to-date copy of all the files in a user's profile.
When a user profile or user files are created, in some embodiments
the result is the base user profile 510. Further, when a user logs
into the file server 106, the user accesses the base user profile
510. Like a user profile, the base user profile 510 can include
user files, data, settings, configurations, applications, or any
other similar information. In some embodiments, the base user
profile 510 can be any user profile, while in other embodiments the
base user profile 510 can be any user profile described herein. In
still other embodiments, the base user profile 510 can be a version
of a user's profile. For example, a user's profile can, in some
embodiments, be the sum of all files, information, applications and
settings of a user, including all deleted items, newly added items
and modified items. Thus, in some embodiments, the user's profile
can be the sum of the base user profile 510 and the provisional
user profile 520. In these embodiments, the base user profile 510
can be a version of the user's profile because it includes the
user's profile minus the delta information stored in the
provisional user profile 520. Similarly, the provisional user
profile 520 can be a version of a user's profile because it
includes the delta information or changes made to a user's
profile.
[0103] The file server 106 can further include a provisional user
profile 520 which can also be called the pending user profile. The
provisional user profile 520, in some embodiments, can store, track
or manage temporary user files and data. A temporary file, in some
embodiments, can be a file that is modified or that has attributes
which are modified, or a newly created file. In some embodiments,
the provisional user profile 520 can include applications newly
assigned to or associated with the user. The provisional user
profile 520 can also include modified or newly created
configuration information or settings. Modification of a file,
setting or information can include: changing the content of the
information; deleting content from the file; adding content to the
file; changing the location of the setting, file or information;
renaming the file, setting or information; changing the permissions
of the file or information; or in any way modifying the content or
changing the attributes of the file, setting or information.
[0104] Temporary files stored in the provisional user profile 520
can correspond to files stored in the base user profile 510. For
example, if a user modifies File A during the course of a first
user session, the modified version of File A can be stored in the
provisional user profile 520 until the first user session ends. In
some embodiments, when the first user session ends, the server
agent 530 replaces the version of File A in the base user profile
510 with the version of File A in the provisional user profile 520.
Thus, a current and up-to-date version of File A is maintained in
the base user profile 510. The provisional user profile 520
therefore stores modified or newly created files until all user
sessions of a particular user end and the server agent 530 is able
to update the base user profile 510 with the changes stored in the
provisional user profile 520. In this sense, the provisional user
profile 520 can be characterized as a storage repository for
changes made to a user's profile or base user profile 510.
[0105] In some embodiments, when a user deletes a file from the
base user profile 510, the server agent 530 searches the
provisional user profile 520 for a version of the deleted file and
deletes the file from the provisional user profile 520. In other
embodiments, the server agent 530 tags the file in the provisional
user profile 520 by including metadata or other information that
indicates the file was deleted from the base user profile 510.
[0106] In some embodiments, the base user profile 510 can include a
file directory that establishes a directory structure for locating
the files in the user profile 510 and lists the names of the files
within the base user profile 510. The file directory included in
the base user profile 510 can, in some embodiments, be updated each
time the server agent 530 determines that there are no pending or
persisting user sessions for a user. Upon making this
determination, the server agent 530 can update the base user
profile 510 and the base user profile directory with the changes
stored in the provisional user profile 520. In one embodiment,
updating the base user profile directory can include comparing the
base user profile file directory to a file directory in the
provisional user profile 520 and updating the base user profile
file directory with the changes. In other embodiments, the base
user profile directory can be updated as changes are stored to the
provisional user profile 520.
[0107] In some embodiments, the provisional user profile 520 can
include a file directory. This directory can include indicators
that track both the former and current name of a particular file.
Thus in some embodiments, maintaining a currently name file can be
accomplished by comparing the provisional user profile file
directory with the base user profile file directory and updating
the names of the files in the base user profile according to the
comparison. In some embodiments, tracking file name changes can be
accomplished using an agent executing in the provisional user
profile 520. This agent can intercept file name change requests,
store a copy of the request and use the request to change the file
name when the user logs off. The movement of files from one
location to another within the file directory can also be tracked
by the provisional user profile 520 and the tracked changes can be
used to update the file directory. In one embodiment, the changes
made to the location of a file within the file directory are
translated to the file directory in the base user profile 510 much
the same way that the names of files within the base user profile
510 file directory are updated.
[0108] When a user requests access to the file directory of the
base user profile 510, in some embodiments the server agent 530 can
provide the user with access to the file directory of the
provisional user profile 520. In other embodiments, the user can be
provided with access to a modified file directory of the base user
profile 510.
[0109] Communication between the base user profile 510 and the
provisional user profile 520 can be brokered or facilitated by the
server agent 530. In other embodiments, communication between the
base user profile 510 and the provisional user profile 520 can be
facilitated by a file management system on the file server 106.
[0110] In one embodiment, when a user logs on, the user session
receives the entire contents of the provisional user profile 520.
Those files not included within the provisional user profile are
then retrieved from the base user profile 510 and transferred to
the user session. Thus, at logon the user session is provided with
an up-to-date and current version of the user profile. During logon
and logoff, in some embodiments, a global single write/multiple
reader lock can be used to ensure that the reads from the
provisional user profile 520 are consistent. Using this lock can
ensure that files are not modified during an initial read from the
provisional user profile 520. When a user session logs off,
substantially all file modifications can be written to the
provisional user profile 520 and merged with other changes made
during other login sessions. In one embodiment, after determining
that no additional user sessions are active, the aggregate file
changes are transferred to the base user profile and all changed
files are substituted into the base user profile 510 in place of
the previous version of the file. Thus, the entire base user
profile 510 is updated with the file changes represented by the
modified files within the provisional user profile 520. In one
embodiment, the provisional user profile 520 is flushed and its
contents are deleted after the changes are made to the base user
profile 510.
[0111] In some embodiments, delivery of the files to the user
session is "just-in-time," meaning that the files are streamed to
the user sessions on an as-requested basis. Thus in one embodiment,
the consistency of the user profile can be maintained by using a
single or one provisional user profile 520 as a pending or
intermediary profile for the user. The user therefore can in some
embodiments have only two profiles, a single base user profile 510
and a single provisional user profile 520. Further, in some
embodiments, the base user profile 510 does not include any
functionality beyond acting as a file directory. In other
embodiments, the provisional user profile 520 does not include any
functionality beyond acting as a file directory. In either of the
above-mentioned embodiments, the base user profile 510 and the
provisional user profile 520 do not include code and do not execute
code.
[0112] Illustrated in FIG. 5 is an embodiment of a method for
mitigating user profile inconsistencies. The method includes a
server agent 530 receiving a request from a first user session for
a first file (Step 602). Upon receiving the request, the server
agent 530 retrieves the first file from the base user profile 510
after failing to locate the first file within the provisional user
profile 520, and streams the first file to the first user session
(Step 604). After transmitting the first file to the first user
session, the server agent 530 receives a request from a second user
session for the first file and for a second file (Step 606). The
server agent 530 searches the provisional user profile 520 and upon
finding the first file in the provisional user profile 520 and the
second file in the base user profile 510 (Step 608), the server
agent 530 retrieves the first file and the second file and streams
the first file and the second file to the second user session (Step
610).
[0113] Further referring to FIG. 5, and in more detail, the server
agent 530 executing on the file server 106 can receive file access
requests from any number of user sessions. In one embodiment, the
server agent 530 receives or intercepts a request for a first file
from the first user session (Step 602). The first user session, in
some embodiments, can be of a user that has a user profile. In some
embodiments, the request for the first file can be a request for a
first file stored in a user profile of a user. The user can be the
user that initiated or established the first user session. In one
embodiment, the server agent 530 first searches the provisional
user profile 520 for the first file and upon failing to locate the
first file, retrieves the first file from the base user profile
510. In other embodiments, the server agent 530 fails to find a
copy of the first file in the provisional user profile 520, and
upon failing to find a copy of the file the server agent 530
retrieves the first file from the base user profile 510.
[0114] In one embodiment, the server agent 530 retrieves the first
file from the base user profile 510 and streams the first file to
the first user session (Step 604). In one embodiment, the server
agent can retrieve the requested first file from the base user
profile 510 in response to receiving or intercepting the request
for the first file. In other embodiments, the first user session
retrieves the first file from the base user profile 510 upon
determining that the first file is not stored in the provisional
user profile 520, or upon determining that the first file was not
deleted from the base user profile 510 or the provisional user
profile 520. In still other embodiments, the first user session
retrieves the first file from the base user profile 510 upon
failing to locate a version of the first file in the provisional
user profile. The first user session, in some embodiments receives
the first file and modifies the first file. In other embodiments,
the first user session can: modify the content of the first file;
delete the first file; modify the attributes of the first file
(e.g. modify the file name or file location); or alter in any way
the first file. When the first user session modifies the first
file, the first user session writes the first file modifications to
the provisional user profile 520 such that the provisional user
profile 520 stores a modified version of the first file. Similarly,
when the first user modifies attributes of the first file or
deletes the first file, the server agent 530 or the first user
session can note the changes and/or write the modifications to the
provisional user profile 520.
[0115] The server agent 530, upon retrieving the requested first
file, can deliver the retrieved first file to the first user
session. In some embodiments, delivering the first file can include
streaming the first file to a communication client executing on the
client 102. In other embodiments, delivering the first file can
include streaming the first file to the client computer 102. The
server agent 530, in some embodiments, can deliver the first file
just in time. Just in time delivery can include delivering the
first file substantially immediately after the file is requested by
the user. Just in time delivery can be accomplished by transmitting
the requested file directly to the user without performing
additional computations or actions.
[0116] Upon receiving a request from a second user session for the
first file and a second file of the user profile(Step 606), the
server agent 530 searches or queries the provisional user profile
520 for the first file. In embodiments where the first user session
modified the first file and wrote the modifications to the
provisional user profile 520, the server agent 530 can locate that
modified first file in the provisional user profile 520. The server
agent can further search or query the provisional user profile 520
for the requested second file. Upon failing to find the second file
in the provisional user profile 520, the server agent 530 can
search the base user profile 510 for the requested second file. In
some embodiments, when the server agent 530 identifies a file in
either the base user profile 510 or the provisional user profile
520, the server agent 530 can retrieve the file. Thus, in each of
the above cases, the server agent 530 can retrieve the first file
from the provisional user profile 520, and the second file from the
base user profile 510. In other embodiments, the server agent 530
can retrieve the files from the base user profile 510 and the
provisional user profile 520 in response to identifying the
modified first file in the provisional user profile 520 and
identifying the second file in the base user profile 510 and not in
the provisional user profile 520.
[0117] In some embodiments, a user of the first user session can
initiate a modification of the first file before the server agent
searches for the modified first file in the provisional user
profile 520 (Step 608). This modification can be any modification
or deletion operation described herein. In some embodiments, the
first user session can cause a modification of the first file to
occur, where this modification is written to the provisional user
profile 520. After the modification is written to or stored in the
provisional user profile 520, the server agent 530 can identify the
modified first file in the provisional user profile 520.
[0118] In one embodiment, the server agent 530 can receive a
request for the first file and a second file from a second user
session that executes at the same time as the first user session.
Thus, in this embodiment, the first user session and second user
session, at the time the request for the files is made, execute
simultaneously. In some instances, simultaneously can refer to two
user sessions that overlap such that one user session executes at
the same time as the other user session. Thus, the first user
session and the second user session execute concurrently such that
their pendency overlap. In some embodiments, the first user session
can be a user session of a user, while the second user session can
be a user session of the same user. Thus, the user is accessing the
user's profiles via both a first user session and a second user
session.
[0119] The server agent 530, upon retrieving the first file and the
second file can deliver or transmit both files to the second user
session (Step 610). In some embodiments, delivering or transmitting
both files can include streaming the first file and the second file
to the second user session. In other embodiments, delivering or
transmitting both files can include just in time delivery or
streaming of the first file and the second file to the second user
session.
[0120] In one embodiment of the methods and systems described
herein, when a user logs onto the file server 106, the entire
contents of the provisional user profile 520 are copied onto the
client machine 102 used by the user to log onto the file server
106. When, in some embodiments, the number of user sessions
associated with a particular user approaches or reaches zero (i.e.
there are no active user sessions associated with the user,) the
entire provisional user profile 520 can be flushed such that no
file copies exist in the provisional user profile 520. When, in
some embodiments, the user logs onto the file server 106 within a
user session different from the first user session, the entire
contents of the provisional user profile 520, as they exist at that
point in time, are copied onto the client machine 102 used by the
user to log onto the file server 106. In some embodiments, the user
does not receive or retrieve file copies from the provisional user
profile 520 during runtime. Rather, in this embodiment the user
receives file copies from the provisional user profile 520 when the
user initially logs onto the file server 106. If the same user logs
into the file server 106 multiple times such that there exist
multiple concurrent user sessions associated with the same user,
then each time the user logs in the user can receive file copies
from the provisional user profile 520.
[0121] Illustrated in FIG. 6 is one embodiment of a method for
merging a provisional user profile 520 with a base user profile
610. A server agent 530 can determine that all user sessions of a
user terminate (Step 702). Upon making this determination, the
server agent 530 can merge the provisional user profile 520 of the
user with the base user profile 510 of the user (Step 704). The
server agent 530 can then remove all profile information from the
provisional user profile 520 of the user (Step 706).
[0122] Further referring to FIG. 6, and in more detail, in one
embodiment the server agent 530 can determine that all user
sessions of a user have been terminated (Step 702). In some
embodiments, making this determination can include monitoring a
listing of the persistent, active user sessions, and determining
that for a particular user, no user sessions are active. In other
embodiments, a manager, agent or other program executing on the
server 106 to establish and manage user sessions, can issue a
notification to the server agent 530 each time a user session is
established and/or terminated. Thus, the server agent 530 can
maintain a list of user sessions associated with a user and whether
the user session is active. When a particular user no longer has
active user sessions associated with it, the server agent 530 can
initiate a merge of the provisional user profile 520 and the base
user profile 510. In another embodiment, the server agent 530 can
intercept notices that indicate either a user session started or
terminated.
[0123] In some embodiments, the server agent 530 can determine that
all user sessions associated with a single user terminated. In
other embodiments, the server agent 530 can determine that all
instances of a user session associated with a single user
terminated. For example, if a first user session and a second user
session are associated with a single user, the server agent 530 can
determine that all user sessions terminated when the server agent
530 determines that the first user session and the second user
session terminated.
[0124] Upon determining that all user sessions or user session
instances of a single user terminated, the server agent can merge
the provisional user profile 520 of the user with the base user
profile of the user (Step 704). In some instances, merging can
include identifying the user information or files that reside in
both the provisional user profile 520 and the base user profile 510
and replacing the files in the base user profile 510 with the files
in the provisional user profile 520. Thus, the modified, added,
deleted and otherwise changed files stored in the provisional user
profile 520 are used to update the corresponding files in the base
user profile 510. Merging can also include identifying those files
in the provisional user profile 520 that are not stored in the base
user profile 510, e.g. newly added files, and copying the newly
added files into the base user profile 510. Merging can further
include comparing a provisional file directory of the provisional
user profile 520 with a base file directory of the base user
profile 510. Upon comparing the two file directories, a listing of
all the changes made to files paths and file names can be compiled,
e.g. the changes are tracked during the comparison. The file paths
and file names of the file directory of the base user profile 510
can then be updated according to the changes stored in the
provisional file director and according to the changes tracked
during the comparison.
[0125] In some instances, after the two user profiles are merged,
all user profile information in the provisional user profile 520
can be deleted or removed (Step 706). In other embodiments, the
information can stay in the provisional user profile 520, but may
be overwritten the next time a user session of the user starts.
[0126] Illustrated in FIG. 7 is one embodiment of a method for
mitigating profile inconsistencies. A server agent executing on a
computer receives a request from a first user session for a first
file and delivers the first file to the first user session just in
time (Step 802). The server agent then receives a request from a
second user session for the first file and delivers the first file
to the first user session just in time (Step 804). Upon receiving
from the first user session a modified version of the first file
when the first user session ends (Step 806), the server agent
stores the modified first file to the provisional user profile
(Step 808). The server agent then determines that a third user
session started and upon making this determination, delivers the
modified first file to the third user session (Step 810).
[0127] Further referring to FIG. 7, and in more detail, in one
embodiment the server agent receives a request for a first file
from the first user session and delivers the first file to the
first user session just in time (Step 802). In some embodiments,
the first user session can be a first user session of a user. In
other embodiments, the server agent delivers the first file from a
base user profile to the first user session. The server agent can
deliver any files selected from the base user profile just in
time.
[0128] In one instance, the server agent, upon receiving the
request from the first user session and delivering the first file
to the first user session, can receives a request from a second
user session for the first file. Upon receiving the request from
the second user session, the server agent can deliver the first
file from the base user profile to the second user session just in
time. In some embodiments, the second user session can be a user
session of the same user as the user of the first user session. In
other embodiments, the server agent delivers the first file from a
base user profile to the second user session. The second user
session and the first user session, in some embodiments, can
execute substantially simultaneously.
[0129] The server agent can receive a modified first file from the
first user session when the first user session ends (Step 806). In
one embodiment, the first user session, upon receiving the first
file, can modify the first file. Modifications to the first file
can include any modification described herein. When any user
session ends or terminates, in some embodiments the server agent
can write all file modifications to the provisional user profile.
Thus, in one embodiment, when the first user session ends or
terminates, the server agent can write the modification made to the
first file to the provisional user profile. Writing a modification
to the provisional user profile can include storing the modified
version of the file in the provisional user profile. The server
agent, in some embodiments, can retrieve the modified user profile
information from a terminated user session upon receiving an
indicator such as a notice or flag that indicates that the user
session ended.
[0130] Upon receiving the modified first file from the first user
session, the server agent can store the modified first file in a
provisional user profile (Step 808). In some embodiments, storing
the modified file to a provisional user profile can include writing
the file modifications to the provisional user profile.
[0131] The server agent, after storing the modified first file to
the provisional user profile, can delivery the modified first file
to a third user session upon determining the third user session
started (Step 810). In some embodiments, the third user session can
execute at the same time as the second user session, but not at the
same time as the first user session. Similarly, the third user
session can be a user session of the same user as the user of the
first user session and the second user session. Thus, the user can
have multiple user sessions, e.g. the first, second and third user
session. In some embodiments, the server agent can determine the
third user session started using any of the methods described
herein. In other embodiments, the server agent can determine the
third user session started responsive to receiving an indication
that another user session associated with the user started, or
responsive to receiving another request to establish a user session
for the user.
[0132] In one aspect the server agent can copy the contents of the
provisional user profile to a user session when that user session
starts, and when that user session executes concurrently with
another user session of the same user. In some embodiments, copying
the contents of the provisional user profile to a user session can
include streaming or downloading all modified files and information
to the user session.
[0133] In one embodiments, the server agent, upon determining that
the third user session started, delivers the modified first file to
the third user session. In some embodiments, the server agent
delivers all contents of the provisional user profile to the third
user session upon determining that the third user session started.
Delivery all the contents can include delivering the modified first
file when the provisional user profile contains only the modified
first file. In some embodiments, the server agent can further
receive a request from a third user session for a second file, and
can delivery the second file from the base user profile to the
third user session just in time. In these embodiments, the second
file was not included in the provisional user profile, therefore
the second file was streamed from the base user profile just in
time.
[0134] The methods and systems described herein may be provided as
one or more computer-readable programs embodied on or in one or
more articles of manufacture. The article of manufacture may be a
floppy disk, a hard disk, a compact disc, a digital versatile disc,
a flash memory card, a PROM, a RAM, a ROM, or a magnetic tape. In
general, the computer-readable programs may be implemented in any
programming language. Some examples of languages that can be used
include C, C++, C#, or JAVA. The software programs may be stored on
or in one or more articles of manufacture as object code.
[0135] While these methods and systems have been shown and
described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it
should be understood by those skilled in the art that various
changes in form and detail may be made therein.
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